As The Stars Fall Away
by nygirl8
Summary: Starts at the end of season 2.  All actions have consequences.  How does the arrest of Brennan's father change the relationship between Brennan and Booth?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Temperance Brennan watched the screensaver on her computer. She had never paused to look at it before. It really was a fascinating sight. Colorful pipes built and built and built, until the screen was full and it started all over. _That is somewhat symbolic_, Brennan thought to herself. Over and over again, never ending. As she stared, seemingly absorbed in her computer, she became aware of someone else in the room. Her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth, was standing in the door of her office, studying her.

"Working on our case, Bones?"

Brennan jumped and hastily hit the mouse to her computer, erasing the screensaver. "I was, but now I have to go." She pushed back her chair and stood, walking around the office to gather her things.

Booth's eyes tracked her as she moved around the room. "It's the middle of the day. Where do you have to go in the middle of the day?"

Brennan ignored his question. "It's all been cleared with Dr. Saroyan. I should be back later. Did you need me for anything?"

"No, I just thought…you know, maybe you guys had something found something new about our case, or we could grab lunch, or…" he trailed off, not even sure himself of the real reason he had come to the Jeffersonian just then.

Brennan pulled her coat off its hook and started slipping her arms into the sleeves. "If anything new had come up on our case, I would have called you." She grabbed her bag off her desk and walked out of her office, leaving Booth behind. He watched, taken aback, as she quickly walked towards the front of the lab. He jogged to catch up, stopping her just as she was about to leave.

"What's going on, Bones?"

Brennan heaved an exasperated sigh at his question. "Nothing's going on, Booth. But I don't have a lot of time right now, so if you could…," she motioned with her head to the side, telling him to move out of the way. She pushed past him and exited the lab, shielding her eyes against the bright sunlight as she walked.

Surprised at his partner's small but rare burst of temper, Booth stood still for a minute, then changed his mind. His longer strides caught him up to her in seconds, as he grasped her arm and spun her around to face him. "Where are you going?"

Brennan pulled her arm free and glared at him. "If you must know, I'm going to visit my father in prison."

"I'll drive you," Booth volunteered quickly.

Brennan shook her head. "And what are you going to do while I'm there?"

"I'll wait in the car."

Brennan put her hand up as the shield her eyes from the sun, grateful that it disguised her suddenly teary eyes from her partner. "No. What would be the point? I'm sure you have other things to do."

Turning serious, Booth stepped closed to her. "Temperance. You understand that I had to arrest your father. I couldn't let him get away. He murdered two people."

Brennan forced a smile to her lips, a cheery, fake smile that didn't fool either of them. "Of course I understand. You were doing your job."

"And I'm sorry, that I had to arrest him, but considering who he is…I couldn't have done anything differently."

Brennan nodded pleasantly. "I understand perfectly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someplace I have to be."

And with that, she left, Booth's eyes on her until she disappeared.

**My first Bones story. I know this was a little short, but it's just the introduction - more to come. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Two hours later

Brennan shifted awkwardly in the hard plastic chair of the prison's visiting room. Waiting for her father to be brought in, she glanced around at the other visitors, then quickly looked away. All the excessive emotion made her uncomfortable. She looked up to see her father being led into the room. He took a seat across the table from her.

"Dad," she started to say, then stopped. Social skills had never been her strong point, and she couldn't think of exactly what was appropriate to say to her incarcerated father.

Brennan tried again, clearly her throat abruptly. A jumble of words spilled out before she could stop them.

"How are you doing in here? I've retained a lawyer for you, he's supposed to be one of the best in Washington, but I don't know if he can get you out of this mess…or if _anyone_ could get you out of this." Brennan buried her head in her hands. "You should have run. Oh, why didn't you run? You had the chance, I would have understood-"

"Temperance!" her father cut her off, raising a hand as to stop her stream of words. "Don't lie. You wouldn't have understood. And to be truthful, neither would I, and if your mother were here, she would agree."

"But you could spend the rest of your life in prison."

"Ah, well, I always knew that there was the possibility that my past would catch up to me one day. When your mother and I left, we did it for the protection of you and your brother. But why bother fleeing now? Protecting you kids was worth leaving. Prison, well, is not."

"What are you saying? Do you _want_ to go to prison?"

"Well, I would rather go to prison and have you able to visit me than spend the rest of my life on the run. It's not bad here at all, although I must say, they don't make them like they used to."

"Who?"

"Almost everyone I've met here." At Brennan's blank stare, he clarified, "You know, professional lawbreakers."

"You mean criminals," Brennan replied bluntly.

Max laughed. "You have your mother's candor. Call them what you will. My point is, they're not like they used to be."

Curiosity warred with Brennan's distaste for the subject. Curiosity won out. "In what way?"

"Well, for one thing," Max began, "some people are in here for very minor misdeeds. No careful planning. Your mother and I, we were careful planners. These people are…" he waved a hand, dismissing them. "And another thing," he said, warming to his subject. "Their reasons! I've been talking to them, and some of the explanations they give, well, some of them deserve to be in jail for the crime of stupidity."

Brennan sat up straight in her chair at this. "And what was your reason, Dad?"

"Temperance…"

"You owe me an explanation. You _know_ you do. Fifteen years later, I still can't even begin to guess at your motives."

"I'll tell you someday. When the time is right. But, for now, it's best if we just leave it alone."

"Best for who?" Brennan asked heatedly, frustrated.

"For all parties involved. Listen, Temperance, I _will _tell you. But for now, let's discuss something else. How's work?"

"Fine," Brennan muttered.

"How's Booth?"

Brennan leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest. Her father's lips twitched in a smile as he surveyed her.

"What?"

"You used to do that when you were younger, whenever you were angry. You would go up to your room, close the door. Refuse to come out for a while."

"I'm not a child anymore, Dad. Just because you missed 15 years doesn't mean they didn't happen."

Her father winced. "I guess I asked for that. I deserve it, I know. And you never answered my question."

"What question was that?"

"How's Booth? Your friends? How was the wedding?"

Brennan shrugged. "Everyone's good. They didn't get married because Angela's already married, but they're working on that. I'm sure they'll get married eventually."

Max blinked at his daughter's casual conveyance of this news. "So, nothing new?"

"Nope." With that, Brennan rose. If she wanted to hide her anger at Booth from her father, she knew she had to get out of there before her father brought him up again. "I have to get back to the lab. We have a…very pressing case."

Her father nodded. "I hope I'll see you again soon." Brennan hesitantly nodded. "I love you, sweetheart. You know that, right?"

"I know, Dad. I'll come back soon."

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Brennan hurried back into the Jeffersonian, ducking her head low in hopes of avoiding her friends. She had successfully made it back to her office without seeing anyone when Angela appeared in the door.

"So, how was it?"

"It was fine," Brennan replied, absentmindedly twirling her mother's family ring on her finger.

"Just fine?"

Brennan shrugged. "I'm going to go back next week."

Angela nodded, then began hesitantly, "You kind of left in a hurry before."

"Well, I was going to be late, Ange. I had to go. Why, was there a problem here? Something with the case?"

Angela shook her head. "No, but what about Booth?"

"What about him?" Brennan asked blankly.

"You seemed angry at him before. Is it because of your father? Because I understand if it is, but, sweetie, you know Booth didn't have a choice."

Brennan nodded, her face an expressionless mask. "Of course I know, Ange. He did what he had to do."

Angela carefully searched her friend's face for some emotion, but couldn't discern what Brennan was thinking. "And you're okay with that?"

"He did what he had to do," Brennan repeated. "And I'm fine with it. Totally and completely fine."

Angela remained unconvinced, but shrugged, giving up for the moment. "Okay, well I'm going to go. Hodgins and I are meeting with an investigator to try to track down my husband."

Brennan nodded. "Have a good night."

"You're sure you're okay?"

Brennan smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Go ahead. I'm going to stay here and get some work done. Good luck with your search."

"Okay. Well, don't stay here too late."

As Angela left Brennan's office, she glanced back at the woman inside. Her fingers still fidgeted with her ring, twisting the band around again and again.

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**Please review! My apologies for the long time it took to post, I'm usually a pretty slow updater, and my summer's been really busy. In the meantime, I'm watching all my Bones episodes over and over and over, until September comes!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Booth stepped into the quiet lab the next morning. It was too early for most people to be there, but he knew that Brennan would already be hard at work. He peered into her office and frowned, not seeing her at her desk. Looking around further, he sighed in relief and exasperation as he located her sleeping on her couch, still in her clothes from yesterday, minus her shoes. He walked over to the couch intending to wake her, but stopped to watch her instead. She was peaceful in sleep, her face slightly flushed and relaxed, her cheeks rosy. He sat down in her office chair, enjoying the opportunity to study her without her snapping at him.

Brennan shifted in her sleep, apparently sensing the change in her surroundings. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, her long dark lashes a sharp contrast to her pale skin. "Booth? What are you doing here?"

"We work together, remember?" he asked, flashing her his charm smile. "Well, maybe you don't remember because lately you've been ignoring me, yelling at me, and running away from me, but we're still partners. And we have a new case…" he said, letting his words trail off at the end, purposely tantalizing her with this information.

"What case?" she asked, sitting up on the couch and pushing her hair back in hopes of untangling it.

"Umm, they were digging the foundation for some new buildings at George Washington University and came across two skeletons. So I need you to come with me and check out the scene, the remains, whatever else you need to do, because the school wants this out of the way and the press as quickly as possible."

"Right," she nodded, standing up and walking to her desk. "Give me fifteen minutes to get ready and we can leave."

Booth was surprised by her newly civil behavior, but didn't plan to question it. "Okay, Bones," he replied, walking to the door of her office. "I'll just wait out in the lab."

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Fifteen minutes later, Brennan came out of her office looking energized and put-together, dressed in clean clothes, her hair neatly pulled back. Booth smiled quietly to himself – it was a rare quality for a woman to be ready when she said she would be.

Her bag in hand, Brennan strode towards him. "Are we going?"

Booth nodded, placing a hand on her back to guide her out of the lab. He felt a twinge of hurt as she stiffened at his touch, clearly still angry with him.

In the car, he turned on the radio, hoping to prevent an awkward silence. Brennan, involved in her notes, didn't look up the entire ride, and Booth found himself wishing she would say something. He glanced over at her, looking at her hair as the sunlight hit it and turned it a bright, shiny copper. She felt his gaze on her and looked up, and he quickly turned his attention back to the road.

At the school, Brennan swung out of his car and headed toward the lot where the bodies had been found, crouching down beside them. Booth followed, glancing for a moment at some curious students who had gathered just beyond the crime tape. "So Bones, what've we got?"

His partner was still crouched over the skeletons, intent on her thoughts. "One male, one female. Both early to mid-20s. Both Caucasian."

"Cause of death?"

Brennan ran a hand over one of the skulls. "You'll have to wait until we get back to the lab. No head injuries. It doesn't look like there are any broken bones."

"Okay, how long have they been here?"

"Hodgins can give us a better idea, but I'd say no longer than a year."

"A year?" Booth asked in disbelief. "You'd think it would be hard to bury two bodies with all the students around here."

Brennan nodded and rose, having finished her cursory examination. "You can have them brought back to the lab, we'll be able to tell you more after we…," she paused, her words trailing off, "further study and…"

"Bones?" Booth asked, looking at his partner in concern. Suddenly she swayed, her normally porcelain skin having turned a pasty white. Booth quickly grabbed her upper arms to hold her steady, lowering them both to the ground and pulling her into the crook of his arm. "Take deep breaths," he said, his tone soothing. "In and out, it's okay…"

They sat there as Brennan tried to recover, shaking her head in an effort to rid herself of the sudden dizziness. Finally, the world stopped spinning and all she wanted was to get out of there. She looked at Booth, who was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Embarrassed, she turned away, attempting to tug free of his arm and finding that impossible as his grip on her tightened.

"I'm okay, really," she reassured him, wiggling her shoulder in hopes that he'd get the message to let go. "I didn't get a chance to eat this morning."

Silently, Booth rose, lifting her to her feet as well, but still not letting go. "The university's hospital is right near here. Why don't we go there, you can-"

Brennan shook her head quickly. "I'm fine. Why don't we just go back to the lab, and I can get started on those remains?"

"Bones-"

"Booth," Brennan said firmly, cutting him off. "I'm fine. I'll eat something once I get back to the lab, so how about we leave?"

"Okay, Bones," Booth replied, keeping his arm around her should as he guided her back to his car. Once they were both inside, he looked over at her, but she kept her gaze firmly ahead, refusing to meet his eyes.

Brennan, on her part, was embarrassed by her sign of weakness. She still felt dizzy, seeing bright flashes every time she closed her eyes, but she was determined not to let Booth notice that. Arriving back at the lab, Booth took her arm as they got out of the car, and when they arrived back at her office, Brennan wearily took a seat on the couch as Booth placed her bag at her feet.

"I'm going to go find some food, alright? Will you be okay here?"

A small smile curved Brennan's lips at his behavior. Her anger at him had begun to slowly fade, a combination of his concern and her realizing that she couldn't stay mad forever. "I'll be fine, Booth," she reassured him. "I'll stay here until you get back."

Booth nodded, exiting her office as Brennan watched him go. As the dizziness overcame her again, she grasped at the solid couch, trying to find balance. Unable to find a center, she tried to stand, and gasped as her legs gave out and she sank down to the floor.

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Reviews, please? I love reviews!!! You know what else I love? Brennan and Booth - next week's episode looks really good, I'm so excited!!!!! Thanks for reading!!!!

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!! I just found out that my flight home is delayed by 3 hours, so I'm going to try to get some writing in. Who knows, the next chapter might be up sooner than you think ;)


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